Electric feeler for looms



Jan. 2, 1934. H, W THTCHR `1,941,960

-ELECTRIC FEELER FOR LOOMS Filed June 2l, 1933 VIZ l@ INVENTOR.

HAEEY M/ #MTC/715e Ci /NTo/v S CbUE/v.

ATTORNEY.

Patented `an. 2, 1.9341

UNITED STATES ELECTRIC FEELER FOR LOOMS Harry W. Thatcher, Hopedale, Mass., assigner to Draper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass., a corpo,-

ration of Maine Application June 21, 1933. serial No. 676,934 sciaims. (ci. 139-272) The present invention relates to electric filling feelers for shuttle looms, and has more particular reference to the means therein for effecting the closing of the electric circuit when the lling sup- 6 ply in the shuttle becomes substantially exhausted.

In feelers of the type herein involved a suitable member, under control of yarn-penetrating or other filling detecting means is moved along 10 a given path when the lling supply inV the shuttle becomes substantially exhausted, and such movement is utilized in the completing of an electric circuit which controls the filling replenishing instrumentalities of the loom. In or- -der that a good electrical contact be made at such time, and held for an appreciable interval, it is necessary that the contact be made shortly after the actuating member starts its movement. This, in turn, requires that the parts be-so constructed that closing the contact does not obstruct the continued movement of the actuating member.

In prior constructions of which I am aware the desired results, aforementioned, have been accomplished by devices which include .a pair of contacts having relative sliding or wiping action which causes the contacts to wear out rapidly.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an electric filling feeler of they type mentioned wherein the electric circuit is controlled by a lever which serves to establish a fixed, as distinguished from a sliding, electrical contact.

Other objects will be hereinafter more speciiically enumerated, or will become obvious as the description proceeds.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, herein disclosed, I employ parts of the well known needle type of feeler to detect substantial exhaustion of the filling supply. Such parts include a filling engaging slide carrying a yarn penetrating member which controls an actuating member, likewise mounted on the slide. The yarn penetrating'member causes the actuating member to move along a given path when a lling supply is present in the shuttle and to move along a diierent path when the iilling supply becomes substantially exhausted. The actuating member, in moving along the second path, engages and actuates a levei` which is pivoted independently of the lling engaging slide. In the present construction the lever directly engages a live electric contact to ground and thus completes the electric circuit involved. The lever is provided with a shifting fulcrum whereby, after engaging the contact the leverpivots'about the contact itself, and thus does not obstruct con-` tinued movement of the actuating member. This constitutes but one of the forms my invention may take, and others are contemplated, vwithin the scope of the appended claims.

For more detailed disclosure of the' preferred embodiment of my invention reference may be had to Ythe accompanying drawing, of which:`

Fig. l is a plan view of the feeler embodying the preferred form of my invention, certainparts being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l but Aillustrating the action of the feeler when the iilling supply becomes substantially exhausted;

Fig. 3 is'a side elevation of tl'ie'ieeler,r with av part of a guide broken away and appearing in section; and

Fig. 4 is aV section taken approximately on line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Y

The feeler of the present invention, in its preferred form, has the parts thereof contained in` two separate housings A and B which are independently bolted to a feeler stand -1 in va manner hereinafter described. The feeler standV is adapted to be secured to some suitable'part of the loom, as the occasion may require. V'Ihe usual practice in single shuttle looms is to mount the stand so that the feeler extends horizontally rearwardly toward the shuttle. In other constructions the feeler `may be mounted over or. under the shuttle, but in any event the shuttle is moved laterally so 'that the lling, or lling carrier, will contact the iilling detecting instrumentalities of the ieeler. According1y I have not shown the mounting for the feeler standxor the shuttle moving mechanism, but have merely shown, in Figs. 1 and 2, how thevshuttle 2 may be moved to operatively position its lling carrier 3 and lling supply 4 with respect to the feeler.

The housing A Vof the feeler is adjustably secured to the stand 1 by a bolt 5 passing through slot 6, whereby the housing may be adjusted toward and from the shuttle. A slide 7, having a filling engaging end 8, is mounted in the housing Vfor reciprocation with the shuttle against the action of a coiled spring 9.

The lling detecting means, in the presentV feeler, includes a yarn penetrating member l0 and an actuating member l1.A The former is in the form of a pointed wire rod which is slidably mounted in an aperture in the end 8 `of the slide and has one end bent to engage an adjusting screw 12 carried by the member 11. The

` latter is pivoted to the slide by means ofa screw 13 and is spring pressed in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 3) by the usual spring, not shown, which may act on pin 14.

The slide 7 and parts carried thereby are well known in the art and operate in the customary manner. That is, when an ample supply of lling is present in the shuttle the point of member' 10 will penetrate the yarn and the slide and all parts carried thereby will be moved bodily while occupying the same relative positions, as shown in Fig. 1. Thus, the actuating member 11 will be moved along a given path each time the detecting action takes place. However, when the filling supply becomes substantially exhausted, as in Fig. 2, the hard unyielding surface of the filling carrier will force the member 10 toward the screw 12, thus moving the member 11 from its normal position and causing it to move along a different path as the shuttle moves toward the feeler.

My novel and improved means for initiating a predetermined change in the operation of the loom upon substantial' exhaustion of the filling supply is,in the present example, controlled from the actuating member 1l, and the parts thereof to which my invention pertains are, for the most part, mounted in the housing B. This housing consists of a base portion 15 secured to the feeler stand l by a bolt-and-slot construction 16 which permits adjustment of the housing in a direction parallel to the slide "I, and a cap 17 secured to the base by a screw 18 (Fig. 4).

The electrical circuit which is controlled by the feeler is not illustrated in its entirety as it may, except for the feeler contacts, be of any suitable usual construction. The wire 19 of this circuit is adapted to be grounded, to complete the circuit, when loom change is desired, To this end, the wire is fastened to a binding post 20 which is positioned within an insulating bushing 21 carried by the base 15. The upper end of the binding post constitutes a contact 22. The other contact is constituted by a lever 23, which is in engagement with the metal housing B and is consequently grounded to the loom frame.

The lever 23 normally extends approximately at right angles to the member l1 and, as shown in Figs. l, 3 and 4, is positioned beneath the path along which the member normally moves. However, as indicated in Fig. 2, the lever intersects the path along which the member 1l moves when the filling supply becomes substantially exhausted. Accordingly the member engages and moves the lever at such time. The lever is so constructed as to have a shifting fulcrum. That is, a slot 24 extends transversely of the lever, intermediate the ends thereof, and the screw 18 passes down through this slot to form a fulcrum for the lever during the rst part of the movement thereof. However, as soon as the end of the lever engages contact 22, the latter becomes the fulcrum and the lever pivots thereabout as member l1 continues its movement.

Spring means herein constituted by a plunger 25 actuated by a compression spring 26, acts upon the lever between the fulcruni screw 18 and the point of engagement with member 11. This spring plunger normally urges the lever into pivotal engagement with the fulcrum screw, but will yield to permit the lever to pivot about the contact 22.

It will be apparent that lever 23 may be made to close a contact by engaging and pivoting about any suitable part. HoWeverI prefer that part to be the electric contact post itself, as such is the simplest form of construction.

The use of a lever pivoted independently of the slide 11 or other filling detecting means permits the use of simple opening-and-closing contacts as distinguished from sliding contacts heretofore employed. Furthermore, the provision of a double or shifting fulcrum for the lever permits the electrical contact to be closed earl-y in the movement of the actuating member and maintained for an appreciable interval without obstructing the movement of the actuating member. Neither does this construction require the nicety of adjustment that would be necessary if the shifting fulcrum were not employed. On the contrary, such adjustment asis necessary need be only to approximate positions, and can readily be made by shifting the housings A, B.

Having fully disclosed the preferred embodiment of my invention, I claim:

1. In an electric iilling feeler for shuttle looms, a feeler stand', filling detecting means includingv a member which moves in a given path when. the iilling supply is substantially exhausted, a." lever actuated by said member when the latter 100 moves in said path, an electric circuit including a part engaged by said lever upon movement of the latter, a fulorum for said lever, and means for yieldingly holding the latter in pivotal engagement with its said fulcrum, said means yield- 105 ing to permit the lever to pivot about said part after engagement therewith.

2. In an electric lling feeler for shuttle looms,

a feeler stand, a Vmember supported by said stand.

and moving along a givenV path when a supply 110 of fillingV is present in the shuttle and moving along a different path when the iilling supply is substantially exhausted, a lever engagedA and actuated by said member Vwhen the latter moves along said different path, an electric circuit including a contact engaged by said lever upon movement of the latter, a fulcrum for said lever, and spring means for yieldingly urging` the latter A into pivotal relation toits said fulcrum, said means yielding to permit the lever to pivot about said contact after engaging therewith. Y

3. In an electric filling feeler for shuttle looms, a feeler stand, means supported by said stand for detecting substantial exhaustion of the iilling supply, an electric circuit including a xed contact, a fulcrum, a lever pivoting on said fulcrum to thereby engage said contact when said means detects substantial exhaustion of the iilling supply, and spring means for yieldingly urging said lever into pivotal engagement with its said fulcrum, said means yielding topermit the lever to pivot about said contact after' engaging therewith.

4. In an electric filling feeler for shuttle looms, a feeler stand, means supported by said stand 135 for detecting substantial exhaustion of the lling supply, an electricv circuit including a iixed contact, a fulcrum, a lever pivoting intermediate its ends on said fulcrum to thereby engage one of its said ends with said contact when said means detects substantial exhaustion of the filling supply, and spring means acting on said lever intermediate the ends of the latter for yieldingly urging the same into pivotal engagement with its said fulcrum, said means yielding to permit the lever to pivot about said contact after engaging therewith.

5. In an electric iilling feeler for shuttle looms, a feeler stand, means supported-by said stand for detecting substantial exhaustion oi the iilling 159 supply, an electric circuit including a xed contact, a fulcrum, a lever having a transversely extending slot intermediate its ends, a fulcrum extending into said slot and about which said lever pivots to engage one of its said ends With said contact When said means detects substantial exhaustion of the lling supply, and spring means acting on said lever to urge the latter into pivotal engagement With its said fulcrum, said means yielding to permit the lever to pivot about said contact after engaging therewith.

6. In an electric filling feeler for shuttle looms, a feeler stand, a slide mounted on said stand and adapted to be moved with the shuttle, an actuating member mounted on said slide and normally means yielding to permit the lever to pivot about.

said part after engaging therewith.

HARRY W. THATCHER. 

